Delaware Gov. Jack Markell delivered remarks at DNC Convention tonight, praising Delaware’s “favorite son” Joe Biden at the top of the speech, and making the case that Mitt Romney’s business experience “does not mean he deserves to be president.”

Here’s the video:

In a statement, Delaware GOP chair John Sigler called Markell “out of touch,” pressing the national Republican message that Americans are not better off than they were four years ago. Read Markell’s speech and Sigler’s full quote after the jump.

Markell’s speech:

“I am privileged to be the governor of Delaware, home to America’s Vice President—our favorite son—Joe Biden. Joe has never forgotten his middle-class roots or the lessons he learned. And you know what? Mitt Romney hasn’t forgotten his roots or the lessons he’s learned either. And that’s what worries me about Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney says that he should be your president because he was a business executive.

Now, I’ve got nothing against business executives running for office. After all, I am one. Before I entered public life, I earned my MBA at night while working during the day. I helped lead the wireless revolution at Nextel, and grew with it from 13 to 3,000 employees. I’m a proud card-carrying capitalist. And make no mistake: I believe in private equity, which helped back Nextel.

But as someone who has been a businessman and a governor, let me level with you: just because Mitt Romney was a successful private equity executive, that does not mean he deserves to be president. Because when you move from business to government, what matters are the lessons you learn and what those lessons say about your priorities. And Mitt Romney learned all the wrong lessons. As an executive in private equity, Mitt Romney’s focus was on the bottom line. And that makes sense: his constituents were his financial shareholders. When he closed factories and sent jobs overseas, it was to benefit his shareholders. That was his job, and he was good at it.

When you are a governor, or the president, it’s different. Your shareholders are teachers, construction workers, and hardware store owners. And your bottom line is not what goes into your pocket—but what goes into theirs. That’s the difference. When your constituents are your financial shareholders, perhaps it makes sense to take control of a company, suffocate it with debt, and get rid of the workers’ pensions. That kind of thing worked for Mitt Romney when he sat in his corporate office. But it won’t work for the country if Mitt Romney’s sitting in the Oval Office. Mitt Romney saw the death of Detroit as good for investors. He couldn’t see what the auto industry meant for the millions of middle-class families who depend on those jobs.

And Barack Obama? He immediately understood what was at stake. He saw saving the auto industry as good for his shareholders—the American people. President Obama made the tough call and saved the auto industry.

Luckily, we have a clear choice in this election. President Obama understands that while government alone cannot create jobs, it sure can create an environment for companies to grow, invest, and hire. That’s why President Obama has a plan to create jobs and build a strong economy to last. You can read it for yourself at Barack Obama.com/plan.

Every day, President Obama is working for the men and women of the middle class who do the hard work of this great nation—investing in you, your education, your job skills, and the roads and bridges we all depend on. When I began as governor, I received a phone call no governor wants to get. One of our top employers, a refinery, was planning to shut down, and lay off all the workers. In fact, they did just that. Days after the plant closed, I visited the workers. I could see in their eyes that they weren’t ready to quit. I promised I would fight for them. So I worked with labor, with investors, with a talented new management team—all committed to keeping the refinery running—and we saved those jobs. You see, my shareholders were those refinery workers. I had to deliver for them.

Let me ask you: what do you think Mitt Romney would have done if that call came in? Well, Mitt Romney has already told us what he would do. Mitt Romney says he likes to fire people. Barack Obama? He likes to see people hired. From the moment he took office, President Obama has delivered for the middle class. He believes that we need to grow our economy from the middle out, and not from the top down, that we need to keep America a land of middle-class opportunity. And to keep faith with that promise—the promise of America—it’s up to us.

We must work for it. We must fight for it. And we must re-elect Barack Obama the President of the United States.”

Sigler’s response:

“The facts are the facts. Over the last several days, Governor Markell has kept a straight face, looked into the TV cameras and said that we are better off today than we were four years ago. Is he that out of touch? Compared to January 2009, when the President first took office, across-the-board unemployment is up, gas prices are higher, food costs are up and the average middle class net worth continues to decline. Jack Markell is a Governor without a clue when it comes to facing the realities of our nation’s weak economy.

“It’s time we call out the Governor on his spin tactics and hold him accountable for the inaccuracies that he and other Democrats are trying to sell to the American people to make them believe the economy is back on track. Unfortunately, though, the numbers don’t lie. Even Democrat Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley admitted, when pressed, that we are not better off than we were four years ago. My message to the Governor and his Democrat colleagues is this: Just because you say it doesn’t make it true.

“I call on Governor Markell to cut short his trip to Charlotte and return to the state to address the numerous concerns of Delawareans, including our own unemployment issues and the nearly 30,611 citizens who remain out of work to date. Perhaps, Governor Markell would be willing to ask those are continuing to struggle to find work in Delaware if, ‘of course,’ they agreed that things are better today.

“The citizens of Delaware elected you to do a job, Governor. Are your chores done yet?”

About Jonathan Starkey

Jonathan Starkey covers state government and politics for The News Journal. He previously worked on the business desk, writing about DuPont, AstraZeneca and insurance issues. Starkey, a native of Dover, has been with the paper since February 2010. He lives in Middletown. Follow Starkey on Twitter @jwstarkey, and email tips or feedback to jstarkey@delawareonline.com.

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